Roc Homily – 32nd Sunday Ordinary Time 2015

“…you have come to the aid of your people with your divinity and even fashioned a remedy out of our mortality that the cause of our downfall might become the means of our salvation through Christ the Lord.”  –  A strong undercurrent that runs through the Gospel of Mark has to do with “the Two Ways” – the way of the fool and the way of the wise. Like the disciples, we are shown the tendencies of the way of foolishness in the disciples as well as the scribes and the Pharisees. Growing awareness of these tendencies in us is key.  Why?  So that we can be taught about the way of wisdom.

The disciples, scribes, and Pharisees want greatness, position, possessions, and to devour the homes of widows. Might these tendencies point to a profound inner emptiness?  Loneliness, inadequacy, unworthiness, and fear seem to ground possessiveness, envy, anger at the success of others, etc… All these, I propose, provide the fuel that drives our acting out.

So, God makes a remedy out of our mortality (fear of death) so that the cause of our downfall might become the means of our salvation.

The Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time 

Homily by Roc O’Connor, SJ, associate pastor of the Church of the Gesu  (November 8, 2015)

Eucharistic Prayer III for Sunday: “…you have come to the aid of your people with your divinity and even fashioned a remedy out of our mortality that the cause of our downfall might become the means of our salvation through Christ the Lord.”